Dissecting Matryoshka

The first page of one of my creative pieces, titled “Dissecting Matryoshka”. Similar to my photography, this work examines the fetishization of immigrant women in the Western world. This prose poetry piece placed 1st in the Bennington Young Writers competition’s non-fiction category, and illustrates the dehumanization of Slavic women in the wake of the Cold War. Although this piece was written prior to Russia’s 2022 invasion of my home country, Ukraine, I see the piece now as part of the discourse surrounding Ukrianian female refugees, and the sexual predators that take advantage of us. The usage of “Slavic” and “Russian” as synonymous illustrates the Soviet-era vocabulary and Russian indoctrination that we still contend with today. Please see this link for the full piece: https://www.bennington.edu/sites/default/files/sources/docs/Bielkina-NonFict-1.pdf This is NOT performance arts piece, although I intend for all of my pieces to be read aloud in readings.

On Hold